The Revolutionary Goans launched a campaign called Together for Mhadei to create pressure on the Centre to withdraw the approvals granted for the Kalasa-Bhandura water diversion project. At Azad Maidan, a large crowd gathered for the awareness programme or ‘Mahadayi Kranti,’ where RG founder president Manoj Parab announced a signature campaign. The attendees also took a pledge to prevent diversion, contamination, and pollution of the Mhadei. Parab said that BJP and Congress are concerned about victory in the Karnataka assembly elections, while Goa Forward Party (GFP) lauded the Mahadayi Water Dispute Tribunal’s verdict as a victory for Goa. He further declared that RG will not collaborate with the opposition as all the political parties have betrayed Goa’s claims on the Mhadei.
RC MLA Viresh Borkar declared “This is a movement for our water. There will be a massive ecological impact. People need to speak up and protest.” Parab then provided the audience with a timeline of the Mhadei water dispute and the various deliberations and studies on Karnataka’s attempts to divert water from the river’s basin. He warned that if Karnataka were to start diverting water, the entire Western Ghats in Goa would suffer. Parab also highlighted the water shortage that many constituencies are facing and the fact that 85% of Goa’s wells are on the verge of drying up, while the government is still bringing in more hotels and projects.
Parab Borkar, the leader of the opposition, blamed the former Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar for the current crisis in the state. He said that he had been demanding a discussion on the Mhadei issue in the assembly session and that all MLAs should be given a chance to speak on it. He added that the Congress’ demand for a one-day discussion was not enough as the dispute has been going on for 40 years and would require at least 10 days of discussions.
